Newly designed cardiovascular equipment including for example, treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary and recumbent bikes provide a user with the benefits of a exercising the individual's heart, lungs and other parts of the body with increased oxygen distribution and endurance. Contrary, a weight training regimen provides the individual with increased strength, muscle definition and body toning and sculpting. Under most circumstances however, cardiovascular equipment does little to increase the overall strength of an individual and likewise, weight training does little to increase exercise to the heart, lungs or to increase the individual's overall endurance for sustained exercise.
In light of the current state of the art therefore, there is an overall lack of exercise equipment that provides an individual with a cardiovascular workout and a weight training exercise regimen simultaneously, all in a stationary platform apparatus.
In that regard, various solutions in the art have arisen in order to address the need for a system and methods that both increase cardiovascular activity as well as increase strength through weight training.
To that end, various systems have come about in the form of cross training equipment to provide the average consumer with options in achieving the individual's fitness goals. The present invention goes beyond that which is known in the prior art by allowing individuals the ability to obtain both a cardiovascular workout as well as a weight training capability, all on a single system, simultaneously.
In reference to the current state of the art the differences between cardiovascular exercise equipment and strength and weight training equipment are significant. For example, generally speaking an individual exercising on a stationary bike typically sits on a bike seat while peddling. Cardiovascular exercise is pronounced however, strength and weight training is nominal and limited solely to the legs. Moreover, this nominal strength training focuses exercise on a single muscle group only, leaving the other muscles groups of the upper body idle during the individual's time on the bike.
Likewise, when walking on a treadmill, a user enjoys the benefit of cardiovascular exercise however with the exception of legs, again, a single muscle group, there is no significant weight training. The individual's other muscle groups are left with no weight training regimen for the entire period of time the individual walks on the treadmill.
Similarly, elliptical machines provide excellent cardiovascular exercise however again, upper body muscle groups are left without any weight training exercise during the entire time on the machine. For an individual who exercises for 30 minutes a day on an elliptical machine, this amounts to 3.5 hours of exercise time per week that an individual misses the opportunity to exercise upper body muscle groups.
In today's fast paced and ultra-busy day, individuals who exercise routinely strive for efficient ways of incorporating an effective exercise regimen which also works within the time constraints of their day.